Memories: A Collection of One-Shots
by GeorgyannWayson
Summary: (A companion set to my original Lorax fanfic, The Way We Were) A collection of one-shots based around stories told, yet untold; memories touched upon, yet unexplored. (Open to prompts and ideas)


**Memories: A Collection of One-Shots**

**NOTE: So, this is just a couple of one-shots that I've put together randomly about The Way We Were (if you want to, go back and read it. These one-shots will make a heck of a lot more sense). I only have a couple, but I would welcome any feedback on a particular scene you might have wanted to see in the story or just feedback in general!**

**1. How the Lorax and Olivia Met**

The doctor came out of the operating room and walked slowly down to the children's playroom. Through the window, he saw five-year-old Olivia playing with a set of dolls. His heart raced, his stomach dropped at the revelation that the poor innocent child was now an orphan. He hated this part of the job, and right then, as he pulled the door open to walk into the playroom, he wished he was anything but a doctor.

He walked up to her slowly and sat down beside her as she brushed the doll's hair.

"Hi, Olivia." He said softly. She turned to look at him, her big brown eyes fixing on him.

"Mommy and Daddy okay?" she asked. The doctor sighed.

"Olivia…your mommy and daddy's bodies stopped working." He stopped to let her absorb that part of the news. "They were in a lot of pain, but now they're not anymore." Olivia blinked.

"Why were they hurting?"

"Well," the doctor said. "You remember riding in the car?" Olivia nodded. "And when the car made that big noise and you remember you said you were turning?" Olivia nodded again, slower. "Your mom and dad got really hurt when that happened."

"Why didn't I get hurt?" Truth be told, the doctor didn't know how Olivia managed to survive. He was shocked when the nurse told him that his patients' daughter had made it out with only bruises and scratches. No one had survived a car accident that intense, but Olivia had.

"You got hurt." He pointed to her pink band-aid. "But your mom and dad got hurt much worse and their bodies couldn't handle it." The doctor felt such a hurt for little Olivia, so innocent and young having to lose her only parents. Why she was spared, he hadn't a clue; maybe there was a higher purpose that he wasn't able to see.

"I'm sorry, Olivia." He said softly, kissing her dark head of curls gently. "You're going to go live with your auntie. Would you like that?" Olivia's eyes filled with tears, her bottom lip quivering.

"I want my mommy." She said softly. The doctor sighed again.

"I know you do…" he got up and walked away from her. As soon as the door shut behind the doctor, Olivia got to her feet and searched for a blanket, laying down on the floor and pulling it over her body and head.

"I want my body to quit working, too…" She told the empty room. Just like her mommy and daddy's bodies did.

* * *

She spent the night in her room, and the next morning, her aunt Hattie came and collected her, seemingly unenthusiastic to be inheriting her only niece. As she drove down the road into the small town of Greenville, Olivia marveled at the trees on the outside of town. They were all different colors, from vibrant oranges to rich pinks to deep reds against a clear, blue sky. Hattie barely spoke to her as she unloaded Olivia's one bag and hauled it upstairs to the guest room, leaving the child downstairs to inspect her new home.

After unpacking for her, Hattie made Olivia French toast, standing at the counter drinking from a clear glass bottle of amber liquid.

"Where's Mommy?" Olivia asked as she nibbled at her food.

"She's dead, Olivia." Hattie's voice sounded hollow to her own ears. She took a drink of the whiskey in her glass, wincing at the pain as it went down her throat. "She isn't coming back." She finished, going to the living room to flop on the couch. Olivia followed her, staring at her as she tried to drink back her emotions.

"Where's Uncle George?" Hattie groaned at the mention of her husband's…ex-husband's name and waved her hand at Olivia.

"Gone, too." Hattie drank. "Hopefully, his body will also quit working soon." She muttered into her glass. First George left, then her sister had to get herself crushed in a car accident and now she was stuck with raising a chatty and curious five year old. Just her luck.

Getting up, Hattie ushered Olivia outside and shut the door, locking it to make sure she didn't go back inside any time soon. The hot sun beat down on Olivia as she wandered all around the backyard, trying to figure out what to do. She noticed that there was a door at the corner of the fence. Doors were meant to be opened…that had to lead somewhere…

Looking back to make sure Hattie wasn't watching, she went and pushed the door open. The forest's sounds immediately hit her ears and with one last look over her shoulder, Olivia left the backyard and stepped into the Truffula forest for the first time.

She started to walk, admiring the height of the Trufulla trees as she passed them. The scents of the forest made her mouth water; it smelled like fresh butterfly milk and of rich, plump fruit. As she admired the sheer size of the purple berries handing from the trees, a rustle in the bushes besides her stopped her and she looked to see what looked like a life-sized teddy bear peeking out at her between the leaves.

"Hi." She said to it, going closer toward the bush. The bear jumped back, frightened. "It's okay." Olivia said, reaching out her hand and starting to sing a song that her mommy used to sing for her when she was scared. Slowly, the bear emerged from the bushes and along with him, a small duck. Soon, she saw she had a small audience; larger bears, grown swans and what looked like orange walking fish gathered around her as she sang, mesmerized by her gentle, child-like voice.

She sat down on a rock and the animals all sat around her, seemingly drunk with her singing. As she finished the song, a creature that Olivia had never seen the likes of before stepped out from the bushes. It was orange, fuzzy and peanut-shaped with a large yellow mustache and long, skinny fingers. Olivia started to get up, but the creature stopped her.

"Please sit." It said, and Olivia obeyed, swallowing back a pit of nervousness.

"What's your name?" It asked her.

"Olivia." She choked out.

"I'm the Lorax." The Lorax smiled at her. "I speak for the trees."

"Why?" she asked.

"I speak for the trees because they don't have tongues or mouths to talk for themselves." He answered. "And someone has to speak for them." Olivia nodded, seeming to understand his words.

"Can I speak for the trees, too?" The Lorax smiled. In all of his years as a deity, he had never encountered a child with a spirit like hers. She wasn't a threat; if anything, he saw a potential in her to be something special.

"If you want to. Do you want to help me do that?"

"Yeah." Olivia beamed.

"Okay. Then we'll make an agreement. If I'm not here, you'll speak for the trees for me. And you'll also take care of the animals for me. Would you like to do that?"

"Yeah." Olivia giggled as a bear –the Lorax explained it was called a barbaloot- pulled on her skirt, letting itself into her lap to cuddle down.

"They like your singing." The Lorax stood next to her. "You know any more songs?" Olivia pursed her lips in thought and then nodded, starting to sing another song. The Lorax watched at the animals' spirits lifted and he looked at the child Olivia, hiding a smile.

This was the start of a beautiful friendship.


End file.
